After the reception of a petition, the
single most important event in the life of a Masonic Lodge is the function
performed by the committee on investigation. It is impossible for every member
of a lodge to personally know all of the potential petitioners to the lodge.
In these days of declining membership, the Brothers who sign the petition of a
prospective member may be blinded by friendship, a concern for the shrinking
membership of their lodge or, very simply, they may not have sufficient
concern for their lodge to see beyond the surface of the potential initiate
whose petition they are signing.

It is the duty of the committee
appointed by the Master to be unbiased by improper solicitations and
uninfluenced by mercenary motives of Brothers, well meaning friends, and
relatives of the prospect. The committee must seek the truth about the depth
of the character of all whom they investigate. Just as importantly, they must
consider the financial circumstances of the petitioner, the organizations he
is already involved in, the kind of company he keeps, the reputation he has in
the community, in his work place, and with the general public he comes in
contact with every day.

The above answers can be obtained very
simply. Ask questions, lots of them, of everyone it is possible to contact.
Start out by talking to the Brothers who signed his petition. Ask them why
they signed his petition. Require answers beyond, "He asked me to". Find out
what they really know about him, how long they have known him, who introduced
them to him and why. Ask them for names of people they know who are associated
with the petitioner or know him personally.

Go to the men who the petitioner gave
as his references. First, see if they knew they were being used as references,
then find out why they think they were given as references. What commitments
do they have about the petitioner? Are there any ties that would suggest their
assessments of his character would not be completely honest and straight
forward? What would they have to gain by his membership in a world wide
Fraternity? Note carefully the responses to your questions. Are they given
quickly, in a straight forward manner while they look you in the eye, or are
their hesitations, shuffling of feet, and side wise glances. Do they give you
a long detailed answer and say nothing or is the answer brief and to the
point, clearly answering your inquiry? If you get too many evasive answers,
take this as a sure indication the committee needs to dig further and ask more
probing questions.

The last step in the process of
investigating a prospective candidate should be the personal interview with
the petitioner in his home, WITH HIS FAMILY PRESENT. Note carefully, does the
petitioner welcome you unhesitatingly into his home. Does his wife greet you
warmly and make a genuine attempt to make you feel at home or is she merely
tolerating your presence? Any one who is expected to spend many hours and a
sum of money with a Fraternal organization must have the support, with little
or no reservation of his wife and family. Any man who is torn between two
commitments, especially when one is wife and family, is going to solve his
problem by negating one of his commitments and it is likely to be the
Fraternity. Spending many hours initiating a man, teaching him the ritual, and
developing a reliance on his contributions to the lodge is a useless
expenditure of time and money if there is doubt from the beginning that he
will be a committed member.

Now to the most important part of the
committee's work, the interview in the home. Obviously, there will be as many
settings for the home interview as their are homes in which interviews are
conducted, so we will speak in terms of the ideal interview setting. Good
manners dictate that you will interview the petitioner in the room of the
house into which he invites you. This will probably be the room he and his
wife feel most comfortable in or are most proud of. If possible, however,
conduct your interview in the living room or the family room. Try to stay away
from the dining room or kitchen. The living room is less likely to have
distractions. If there is a TV, if at all possible get it turned off. You do
not want to compete with a soap opera or Monday night football. By the way,
make it a rule not to ask for an appointment to visit with the petitioner when
there is the obvious possibility of a conflict. In other words, don't schedule
interviews on Monday night during football season. Neither the petitioner's
heart nor his mind are likely to be on the interview, and yours probably won't
be there either!

Always have three members of the
investigating committee present for the interview with the petitioner. The
chairman of the committee should assume the leadership role in the interview
and should ask the major portion of the questions. The second man on the
committee should join in answering any questions the petitioner or his wife
might have, watch the petitioner for his reactions to questions, and basically
act as a resource person. The third man on the committee should spend the
majority of his efforts observing the reactions of the petitioner's wife and
any other members of the family that may be present. This man should pay
particular attention to the wife. She, in the opinion of the author, is the
key to the husband's retention in the Masonic Fraternity.

Observe closely her reactions to
questions and to the general conversation and make careful mental notes of her
reactions. At appropriate pauses in the flow of the interview, attempt to
address any concerns the wife might have that have become evident by her
responses or reactions. I define responses here almost entirely in terms of
body language. It is unlikely that she will verbally object to her husband's
interest in the fraternity in front of the committee. However, she may very
likely show her feelings strongly by her nonverbal reactions. This is the time
to address her concerns and/or reservations. Do not wait until her husband has
spent both money and time with the Fraternity. Waiting will allow opinions and
feelings to solidify and become irreversibly set.

At the same time, don't forget the
petitioner. If he displays adverse reactions at any time during the interview,
use this as a key that the committee needs to explore the topic under
discussion in greater depth or reassure the petitioner of the support,
friendship, and brotherhood the lodge extends to its, about to become, newest
member.

The chairman of the committee should
control the time spent on the interview and should not overstay the
committee's welcome. He should be aware of any signs of restlessness on the
part of any of the participants and, should the interview become lengthy, he
should take steps to bring it to a smooth and natural conclusion. The chairman
should poll his committee prior to closing by asking, in an offhand manner, if
he has neglected to mention anything important and/or ask if anyone has a
final comment he would like to make or a final question he would like to ask.
This will give the third member of the committee a natural opportunity to
address any problems he has observed, if he has not had an opportunity to do
so up to that point.

The petitioner and his wife should be
asked if they have any final questions or observations they would like to make
before the committee departs in order to consider their recommendations on the
petition.

In closing, the author would like to
remind investigating committees that they too are being observed by the
petitioner and his family. Their body language and responses can also be
easily read. If the committee members rush through their questions, shift
about in their chairs, drum their fingers on the arm of their chair or sit
with their toes pointing toward the door, they will communicate,
unconsciously, their lack of interest in their mission and their obvious
desire to be somewhere else, doing something else.

Dress also plays a part in the
impression the lodge and the Fraternity will make on the petitioner and his
family. Dress appropriately, but don't either overdress for the interview or
underdress. Make it obvious that care has been taken to make a good
impression. This will tell the petitioner and his family, in a subtle way,
that the lodge members are proud of their fraternity and are particular about
who gains admission to its society and its customs.

One final thought. Do not neglect to
extend the right hand of friendship to the petitioner and his family prior to
departing from their home. A warm and friendly grip is the one form of body
language, when used in conjunction with a sincere smile, that overcomes
reservations and encourages a positive relationship.